The Noisy Silent Witness : The Misperception and Misuse of Criminal Video Evidence

This Note examines recent developments in the research of situational video evidence biases. Part I examines the current and growing body of psychological research into the various situational biases that can affect the reliability of video evidence and the gaps in this research that require further attention from researchers and legal academics. Because these biases do not “operate in a vacuum,” Part I also examines some of the recent and exciting research into the interaction between situational and dispositional biases. Part II examines the development of camera and video processing technology and its limitations as a means of mitigating such biases. Part III explains how such research could be used to develop heuristics to better assess the admissibility or presentation of video evidence and the need for greater judicial scrutiny of video evidence. This Note concludes by highlighting the potential research about the situational factors affecting the perception that video evidence has for producing insights useful for practitioners conducting criminal trials and municipalities and police forces adopting video technology, and closes with suggestions for further research

Protein Modification by Dicarbonyl Molecular Species in Neurodegenerative Diseases

Neurodegeneration results from abnormalities in cerebral metabolism and energy balance within neurons, astrocytes, microglia, or microvascular endothelial cells of the blood-brain barrier. In Alzheimer's disease, β-amyloid is considered the primary contributor to neuropathology and neurodegeneration. It now is believed that certain systemic diseases, such as diabetes mellitus, can contribute to neurodegeneration through the effects of chronic hyperglycemia/insulin resistance resulting in protein glycation, oxidative stress and inflammation within susceptible brain regions. Here, we present an overview of research focusing on the role of protein glycation, oxidative stress, and inflammation in the neurodegenerative process. Of special interest in this paper is the effect of methylglyoxal (MGO), a cytotoxic byproduct of glucose metabolism, elevated in neurodegenerative disease, and diabetes mellitus, on cerebral protein function and oxidative stress. How MGO interacts with amino acid residues within β-amyloid, and small peptides within the brain, is also discussed in terms of the affect on protein function

WIYN Open Cluster Study. XXXVIII. Stellar Radial Velocities in the Young Open Cluster M35 (NGC 2168)

We present 5201 radial-velocity measurements of 1144 stars, as part of an ongoing study of the young (150 Myr) open cluster M35 (NGC 2168). We have observed M35 since 1997, using the Hydra Multi-Object Spectrograph on the WIYN 3.5m telescope. Our stellar sample covers main-sequence stars over a magnitude range of 13.0<V<16.5 (1.6 - 0.8 Msun) and extends spatially to a radius of 30 arcminutes (7 pc in projection at a distance of 805 pc or 4 core radii). Due to its youth, M35 provides a sample of late-type stars with a range of rotation periods. Therefore, we analyze the radial-velocity measurement precision as a function of the projected rotational velocity. For narrow-lined stars (v sin i < 10 km/s), the radial velocities have a precision of 0.5 km/s, which degrades to 1.0 km/s for stars with v sin i = 50 km/s. The radial-velocity distribution shows a well-defined cluster peak with a central velocity of -8.16 +/- 0.05 km/s, permitting a clean separation of the cluster and field stars. For stars with >=3 measurements, we derive radial-velocity membership probabilities and identify radial-velocity variables, finding 360 cluster members, 55 of which show significant radial- velocity variability. Using these cluster members, we construct a color-magnitude diagram for our stellar sample cleaned of field star contamination. We also compare the spatial distribution of the single and binary cluster members, finding no evidence for mass segregation in our stellar sample. Accounting for measurement precision, we place an upper limit on the radial-velocity dispersion of the cluster of 0.81 +/- 0.08 km/s. After correcting for undetected binaries, we derive a true radial-velocity dispersion of 0.65 +/- 0.10 km/s.Comment: accepted for publication in A

Do β-Defensins and Other Antimicrobial Peptides Play a Role in Neuroimmune Function and Neurodegeneration?

It is widely accepted that the brain responds to mechanical trauma and development of most neurodegenerative diseases with an inflammatory sequelae that was once thought exclusive to systemic immunity. Mostly cationic peptides, such as the β-defensins, originally assigned an antimicrobial function are now recognized as mediators of both innate and adaptive immunity. Herein supporting evidence is presented for the hypothesis that neuropathological changes associated with chronic disease conditions of the CNS involve abnormal expression and regulatory function of specific antimicrobial peptides. It is also proposed that these alterations exacerbate proinflammatory conditions within the brain that ultimately potentiate the neurodegenerative process

Predictors of anemia in preschool children: Biomarkers Reflecting Inflammation and Nutritional Determinants of Anemia (BRINDA) project.

Background: A lack of information on the etiology of anemia has hampered the design and monitoring of anemia-control efforts.Objective: We aimed to evaluate predictors of anemia in preschool children (PSC) (age range: 6-59 mo) by country and infection-burden category.Design: Cross-sectional data from 16 surveys (n = 29,293) from the Biomarkers Reflecting Inflammation and Nutritional Determinants of Anemia (BRINDA) project were analyzed separately and pooled by category of infection burden. We assessed relations between anemia (hemoglobin concentration &lt;110 g/L) and severe anemia (hemoglobin concentration &lt;70 g/L) and individual-level (age, anthropometric measures, micronutrient deficiencies, malaria, and inflammation) and household-level predictors; we also examined the proportion of anemia with concomitant iron deficiency (defined as an inflammation-adjusted ferritin concentration &lt;12 μg/L). Countries were grouped into 4 categories on the basis of risk and burden of infectious disease, and a pooled multivariable logistic regression analysis was conducted for each group.Results: Iron deficiency, malaria, breastfeeding, stunting, underweight, inflammation, low socioeconomic status, and poor sanitation were each associated with anemia in &gt;50% of surveys. Associations between breastfeeding and anemia were attenuated by controlling for child age, which was negatively associated with anemia. The most consistent predictors of severe anemia were malaria, poor sanitation, and underweight. In multivariable pooled models, child age, iron deficiency, and stunting independently predicted anemia and severe anemia. Inflammation was generally associated with anemia in the high- and very high-infection groups but not in the low- and medium-infection groups. In PSC with anemia, 50%, 30%, 55%, and 58% of children had concomitant iron deficiency in low-, medium-, high-, and very high-infection categories, respectively.Conclusions: Although causal inference is limited by cross-sectional survey data, results suggest anemia-control programs should address both iron deficiency and infections. The relative importance of factors that are associated with anemia varies by setting, and thus, country-specific data are needed to guide programs

Book Reviews

Book reviews of: In the Wake of War: Military Occupation, Emancipation, and Civil War America. By Andrew F. Lang. (Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 2017. Acknowledgements, notes, bibliography, index. Pp. xi, 317. $47.50 cloth. ISBN: 978-0-8071-6706-9.) Keep the Days: Reading the Civil War Diaries of Southern Women. By Steven M. Stowe (Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina Press, 2018. Acknowledgements, bibliographical references, and index. Pp. xxv, 199.$29.95 paper. ISBN: 9781469640969.) The Guerrilla Hunters: Irregular Conflicts during the Civil War. Edited by Brian D. McKnight and Marton A. Myers. (Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 2017. Acknowledgments, illustrations, maps, notes, index. Pp. ix, 399. $49.95, cloth. ISBN: 0807164976.) Strategic Sisterhood: The National Council of Negro Women in the Black Freedom Struggle. By Rebecca Tuuri. (Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2018. Acknowledgements, illustrations, notes, index. Pp. xi, 313.$90 cloth, $29.95 paperback. ISBN: 9781469638898.) Environmental Disaster in the Gulf South: Two Centuries of Catastrophe, Risk, and Resilience. Edited by Cindy Ermus. (Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 2018. Pp. 1-206.$45 hardcover. ISBN-978-0-8071-6710-6.) In Remembrance of Emmett Till: Regional Stories and Media Responses to the Black Freedom Struggle. By Darryl Mace. (Lexington: University Press of Kentucky, 2014. Preface, introduction, illustrations, acknowledgements, notes, bibliography, index. Pp. xi, 212. $40 cloth. ISBN: 978-0-8131-4536-5.) The Annotated Pickett’s History of Alabama And Incidentally of Georgia and Mississippi, from the Earliest Period. Edited by James P. Pate. (Montgomery: New South Books, 2018. Notes, acknowledgements, illustrations, index. Pp. 600.$60.00. ISBN: 978- 1-58838-032-6.

eClinic: increasing use of telehealth as a risk reduction strategy during the covid-19 pandemic

Prior to the covid-19 pandemic, telehealth was already being rapidly adopted nationally by healthcare systems. During the covid-19 pandemic, increased use of telehealth may be considered as a risk reduction strategy. Benefits of this strategy may be conferred to both patients and health providers.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/155565/1/Kemp_Williams_Alam_eClinic.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/155565/4/DeepBluepermissions_agreement-CCBYandCCBY-NC_ORCID.pdfDescription of Kemp_Williams_Alam_eClinic.pdf : ArticleDescription of DeepBluepermissions_agreement-CCBYandCCBY-NC_ORCID.pdf : Deep Blue sharing agreemen

Iron deposition is independent of cellular inflammation in a cerebral model of multiple sclerosis

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Perivenular inflammation is a common early pathological feature in multiple sclerosis (MS). A recent hypothesis stated that CNS inflammation is induced by perivenular iron deposits that occur in response to altered blood flow in MS subjects. In order to evaluate this hypothesis, an animal model was developed, called cerebral experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (cEAE), which presents with CNS perivascular iron deposits. This model was used to investigate the relationship of iron deposition to inflammation.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>In order to generate cEAE, mice were given an encephalitogen injection followed by a stereotactic intracerebral injection of TNF-α and IFN-γ. Control animals received encephalitogen followed by an intracerebral injection of saline, or no encephalitogen plus an intracerebral injection of saline or cytokines. Laser Doppler was used to measure cerebral blood flow. MRI and iron histochemistry were used to localize iron deposits. Additional histological procedures were used to localize inflammatory cell infiltrates, microgliosis and astrogliosis.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Doppler analysis revealed that cEAE mice had a reduction in cerebral blood flow compared to controls. MRI revealed T2 hypointense areas in cEAE animals that spatially correlated with iron deposition around vessels and at some sites of inflammation as detected by iron histochemistry. Vessels with associated iron deposits were distributed across both hemispheres. Mice with cEAE had more iron-labeled vessels compared to controls, but these vessels were not commonly associated with inflammatory cell infiltrates. Some iron-laden vessels had associated microgliosis that was above the background microglial response, and iron deposits were observed within reactive microglia. Vessels with associated astrogliosis were more commonly observed without colocalization of iron deposits.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The findings indicate that iron deposition around vessels can occur independently of inflammation providing evidence against the hypothesis that iron deposits account for inflammatory cell infiltrates observed in MS.</p

Estimating Eigenenergies from Quantum Dynamics: A Unified Noise-Resilient Measurement-Driven Approach

Ground state energy estimation in physics and chemistry is one of the most promising applications of quantum computing. In this paper, we introduce a novel measurement-driven approach that finds eigenenergies by collecting real-time measurements and post-processing them using the machinery of dynamic mode decomposition (DMD). We provide theoretical and numerical evidence that our method converges rapidly even in the presence of noise and show that our method is isomorphic to matrix pencil methods developed independently across various scientific communities. Our DMD-based strategy can systematically mitigate perturbative noise and stands out as a promising hybrid quantum-classical eigensolver

RefSoil: A reference database of soil microbial genomes

A database of curated genomes is needed to better assess soil microbial communities and their processes associated with differing land management and environmental impacts. Interpreting soil metagenomic datasets with existing sequence databases is challenging because these datasets are biased towards medical and biotechnology research and can result in misleading annotations. We have curated a database of 922 genomes of soil-associated organisms (888 bacteria and 34 archaea). Using this database, we evaluated phyla and functions that are enriched in soils as well as those that may be underrepresented in RefSoil. Our comparison of RefSoil to soil amplicon datasets allowed us to identify targets that if cultured or sequenced would significantly increase the biodiversity represented within RefSoil. To demonstrate the opportunities to access these underrepresented targets, we employed single cell genomics in a pilot experiment to sequence 14 genomes. This effort demonstrates the value of RefSoil in the guidance of future research efforts and the capability of single cell genomics as a practical means to fill the existing genomic data gaps